Appropriate for upper level undergraduate and graduate level courses on Japanese politics, comparative Asian political systems, or Pacific Rim systems offered through Political Science, and History. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the political structure of modern Japan. Its balanced treatment of Japanese politics discusses the sources of authority in the modern Japanese state; the structures of government; the informal or "floating" structures such as mass media institutions and citizen action groups; issues in contemporary Japan such as the future of education policy, environmental challenges, economic development, social welfare for an aging population, and the future of nuclear power; "outsiders" and "insiders" in the modern Japanese state; the changing role of women; and Japan in a changing global environment.

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